Cincinnati Nature Center making efforts to save monarchs

Cincinnati Nature Center has launched the “Milkweed to Monarchs” initiative in efforts to raise awareness for the plight of the Monarch butterfly.

Once commonly found dancing over our fields, the monarch butterfly population is in jeopardy. The past decade alone witnessed a 97 percent decrease in the monarch population. A petition was filed by a group of environmental organizations asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to declare the monarch butterfly a threatened species.

“The No. 1 reason we are witnessing such a dramatic decrease in the monarch population is due to the loss of habitat,” said Jason Brownknight, Cincinnati Nature Center’s director of conservation and stewardship.

“More specifically, it is the loss of the milkweed plant required by the monarch larvae to feed upon,” he added.

Cincinnati Nature Center is leading the efforts to inform the Greater Cincinnati region of both the critical story of the Monarch and what actions people can take to make a difference. Through the “Milkweed to Monarchs” initiative, Cincinnati Nature Center is encouraging individuals and organizations to plant milkweed, offering educational and stewardship programs to increase the monarch’s habitat, and providing opportunities to learn more and get involved.

“The monarch has been studied universally – from its captivating metamorphosis to its amazing 2,500-mile migration, this important pollinator is an indicator species that must be saved,” said Bill Creasey, Cincinnati Nature Center’s chief naturalist. “We are reaching out to individuals, business, schools and other organizations to help make a difference,” he said.

Brownknight encourages everyone to get involved by planting native milkweed and nectar-bearing flowers, using pesticides responsibly, supporting organic gardening, agriculture and landscaping and to learn more.

To discover more about Cincinnati Nature Center, visit www.cincynature.org.